A Tale of Encounters with Immortals: A Peach Blossom Temple in the Martial World

Zhang Zhengdao returned to Linbin Town from Lingzhou.

He came alone, and he's leaving alone. Big cities are bustling, but they're full of tricks. He thought of the colleague he'd met at the temple fair; big cities have so many talented people too.

He realized that if he came to a big city, the road would be much more difficult and the competition much fiercer.

After leaving the city gate, I walked along the official road.

I don't know why, but just thinking about going back to Linbin Town makes me feel relaxed.

The feeling of coming home.

He didn't know when, but Linbin Town had become his hometown, and Peach Blossom Temple his home. Two women and a ghost were waiting for him to return...

This alms-begging trip has been quite fruitful.

Big cities may have more tricks up their sleeves, but they also offer more opportunities.

We also passed by other teahouses along the way, where we stopped for tea and a rest.

However, this time there was no hijacking of the prison van.

Although there are many fights and killings in the martial arts world, you don't encounter them every day. There are many people passing through the official roads, and many people resting in the teahouses.

Many stories in the martial arts world originated from roadside teahouses, inn tables, and storytellers' stalls. In ancient times, before the internet, these were the gathering places for martial arts rumors.

No matter how the story unfolds, onlookers will derive their own pleasure and satisfaction from it.

"A fox demon has appeared in Qingzhou..."

The words are not surprising and die endlessly.

The speaker was a young woman dressed in a close-fitting outfit with her hair in a bun.

Women's enthusiasm for gossip is like a flu virus spreading rumors.

Wherever her spittle flies, even a dog that passes by and gets spittle on it will immediately become infected, barking out its opinion and then barking everywhere to spread the rumors.

When people infect each other without protective measures, and even when many people are willing to be infected, rumors spread like wildfire.

"Heh, what are you talking about, a fox demon? He's just a womanizer."

A man in a long robe, who appeared to be from a respectable family, said disdainfully, "The Flower Butterfly died in Lingzhou, and now his brother, the Golden-Winged Bee, is also rushing over from Yuezhou. He's probably in Qingzhou by now... I'm going to Qingzhou to kill him and take the reward money offered by the court."

"How much is the reward this time?" the young woman asked.

"Eighty taels of silver."

"Ah ha—" the young woman exclaimed, "Only eighty taels of silver? That's too little. Back then, the Flower Butterfly was a hundred taels of silver. The difference is too great."

"You don't know anything. The Butterfly is good at fighting because he committed a lot of crimes, not because he's skilled in martial arts."

"Hehe, they even said that the two brothers use similar methods, both liking to use sleeping potions and pretend to be vixens to seduce women."

"It's all because they practiced a demonic art called the 'Great Compassion Mantra of Yin and Yang Intercourse.' So whether or not they become flower thieves is not up to them, but up to the demonic art they practice."

Everyone suddenly realized what was going on.

Fortunately, fortunately!

Some people breathed a sigh of relief. Others, however, became nervous.

This demonic technique seems to have originated from Qingmu Cliff a few years ago, and many people obtained it through various means. At the time, because it was a relatively advanced technique, people were amazed by its power and their cultivation progressed very quickly.

However, when you're close to becoming a top-tier expert, you'll hit a bottleneck.

The bottleneck is the problem of the interaction between Yin and Yang.

To break through to the Innate Realm, one must turn into a thief, specifically a womanizer, stealing a woman's virginity.

Those with money need no introduction, but what about those without? How many people in the martial arts world are truly wealthy? And even the wealthy wouldn't deign to try such a demonic art.

There were two or three people in the teahouse who looked rather grim.

Qingmu Cliff, indeed, is a demonic sect.

Zhang Zhengdao listened with great interest, drinking tea and eating peanuts.

He saw the young woman looking at him, even giving him a flirtatious wink, her eyebrows furrowed for a long time.

Zhang Zhengdao was taken aback. He looked around and saw several odd-looking people sitting next to him. Then the woman pointed at him.

Indeed, he was a man with a magnificent beard, a Taoist priest with an ethereal air, and an outstanding temperament. Having some attraction was a kind of affirmation for him.

The young woman smiled and said, "Taoist Master, I know there's a small tavern ahead on the main road. I'll treat you to some wine."

The crowd roared with laughter.

People from the martial arts world are just people who enjoy themselves.

A burly man with his chest exposed slammed his fist on the table and laughed loudly: "Fairy Ling, you have good taste."

Upon hearing this name, Zhang Zhengdao's eyes widened.

This young woman was practically drooling over a Taoist priest like me, and she even had the nerve to call me a fairy? What about the ones at my house then?

The Moon Fairy?

Butterfly Fairy?

Are fairies in the martial arts world so worthless?

This kind of thing also has the title of fairy.

Zhang Zhengdao looked at the young woman and tentatively asked, "Um... do you have a copy of the 'Great Compassion Ode of Yin and Yang Intercourse'? Have you recently reached a bottleneck in your path as a top-tier master?"

The young woman was taken aback.

The others all took several steps back with a "whoosh" and looked at the young woman.

"What nonsense are you spouting?" the young woman retorted angrily. "I've never practiced any evil arts. Bah, do you think I don't know? Just now, I don't know whose eyeballs were practically embedded in my chest."

A bold and unrestrained woman from the Xia Dynasty!

"I think you're only after my good looks and want to possess me..."

Everyone looked at Zhang Zhengdao again.

"Master, in broad daylight..."

"You're getting angry because the young woman didn't come to see you in broad daylight?" Zhang Zhengdao said, not one to tolerate such behavior.

"Hey, how can you talk like that? Did I ever think that way?" the old man interrupted impatiently.

"You've insulted my innocence! How am I supposed to live in the martial world now? I'm done with this!"

The young woman also has a performative personality.

Zhang Zhengdao said with an air of righteousness, "Lady, I see your face is flushed and your complexion is rosy. You're on the verge of exploding, aren't you?"

Bell Fairy retorted angrily, "Bullshit!"

Zhang Zhengdao said, "A face that is red and pale is an acute illness caused by a burning sensation in the heart and a sudden, desperate reaction. If you don't believe me, stretch out your hand and see if your palm is flushed and moist; that's a symptom of the poison already reaching the very core. I advise you all, if any hero falls victim to this poison tonight, do not suspect that it was done by Fairy Ling... She also had her own unavoidable difficulties."

"Wow!"

Everyone stood up and walked outside without looking back.

I would rather trust it to have it than to trust it to have nothing.

Seeing that everyone was getting up to leave, Zhang Zhengdao also prepared to leave.

After paying for the tea, they returned to the official road. Suddenly, Fairy Ling appeared and blocked Zhang Zhengdao's way.

Zhang Zhengdao called out to the boss, "There's still someone here who hasn't paid."

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Fairy Ling was unwilling to bear the reputation of drinking tea without paying. That reputation was hardly better than that of a flower thief.

If you don't pay for your tea, it means you're a poor wretch who can't even afford the few coins for a cup of tea.

The fairy bell angrily took out ten copper coins and threw them on the counter.

The counter owner tentatively said, "None of those people paid."

Ling Fairy turned to look at the shopkeeper, furious: "What does it have to do with me that they didn't pay for their tea?"

The boss said reluctantly, "It's because they heard about your reputation and ran away. You'll have to pay for their money!"

Ling Xianzi didn't want to get entangled any longer, so she fumbled around for a while before finally finding a little over one tael of silver. She paid the money, then looked back and saw that Zhang Zhengdao was gone, and she didn't know where he had gone.

He stomped his feet angrily by the roadside.

Yes, I'm so angry I'm about to explode. I've even practiced some kind of demonic power, so what?

I am also a victim of demonic arts. Is it easy for us women to survive in the martial arts world? If you men didn't dominate the martial arts world, would I have to resort to practicing demonic arts?

It's all your fault, you stinky men.

And that stinky Taoist priest!

snort!

Life is full of such interludes every day.

After casually flirting with the Fairy Ling in the martial arts world, Zhang Zhengdao returned to Linbin Town in a cheerful mood. He arrived back in Linbin Town two days later.

We ate and stayed at roadside inns along the way, which saved us a lot of money.

Despite having broadened his horizons and made a lot of money in the big city, he remained a Taoist priest at Peach Blossom Temple, true to his original aspirations.

The first thing to do upon returning to Linbin Town was to have a good drink at Sister Gui's wine shop and buy some braised pig ears while we were there.

As soon as I arrived at the distillery, I saw a young girl who was a little fair-skinned.

When the little girl saw him, she darted away and hid behind the winery.

Sister-in-law Gui glanced at him and snorted dismissively.

Zhang Zhengdao was baffled.

Upon entering the distillery, Sister Gui brought him a pot of wine and a plate of peanuts.

He casually tossed the dish of peanuts onto the table.

The plate wobbled several times before settling, and two peanuts rolled out and fell onto the table.

Not wanting to waste it, Zhang Zhengdao pinched it with his hand and threw it into his mouth.

"Did I owe you money for drinks?"

Zhang Zhengdao asked.

Sister-in-law Gui shook her head.

"I only went to Lingzhou City..."

"And you even flirted with Fairy Ling," Aunt Gui said irritably. "This morning, a few martial arts practitioners were drinking at the tavern, saying that some Taoist priest had flirted with Fairy Ling and even wanted to use her to cultivate demonic arts, something about 'absorbing yin to replenish yang.' I reckon it was you..."

Zhang Zhengdao was stunned.

No wonder Lu Xiaohua ran away as soon as she saw him.

Are you scared?

No, are rumors spreading so fast in the martial arts world?

Everything was fine in the teahouse, so why is it different now that we're back in Linbin Town?

These scoundrels, these morally corrupt elements, I spit on them!